Air Fryer Diet

You want to use an air fryer to start eating healthier, but will that air fryer actually help you lose weight? Let’s talk about an air fryer diet.

Okay, so this isn’t a new diet craze. We aren’t going to sell you on a bunch of pills and an air fryer here. (Well, maybe an air fryer. But no pills. Promise!)

The truth is, an air fryer can absolutely help you eat healthier, which can contribute to an overall, healthier lifestyle.

Air fryers don’t have to make unhealthy foods. In fact, they are actually quite good at making perfectly healthy meals. And since you’ll be reducing the fat you cook with when you air fry, this will help reduce overall calorie intake, which can help some people lose weight.

Air fryers, by themselves, do not promise any sort of weight loss. Any weight loss you experience will be because of proper nutrition and caloric choices. But an air fryer can really help in both of those departments by cooking healthy, lower calorie foods that taste great.

Can You Air Fry Fish On A Diet?

Believe it or not, this question popped up on a google search. And while it seems there is an obvious answer to us, we thought it would be worth addressing because it’s a perfect example of how an air fryer can help you on a diet.

Yes you can air fry fish on a diet, and here’s why. Fish is a wonderful, healthy protein no matter how it’s cooked. What matters, is what you add to it. If you were to fry a piece of fish in an inch of oil, it would not be considered healthy by most people. However, if you lightly spritz the same piece of fish with some heart-healthy oil and cook it in an air fryer, it suddenly becomes what most people would consider perfectly healthy. It’s a good source of lean protein, and it hasn’t been cooked in so much fat that it loses its health benefits.

Are Air Fryers Good For A Keto Diet?

Absolutely. You can cook your protein in an air fryer as well as many low carb vegetables. But the whole premise of air frying is to reduce fat, which Keto is not a proponent of. So if you’re going to cook things in an air fryer for a keto diet, you’ll want to use a bit of oil to cook with, and then add some other sources of healthy fats after cooking.

Check out this list of Keto Air Fryer Recipes!

Can You Air Fry On A Raw Food Diet?

This is another question that popped up. The answer here is, no. Air frying does actually cook your food.

That being said, you can absolutely warm your raw food in an air fryer. A raw food diet demands raw food, but warm food is not the same as cooked food. You can use an air fryer to warm your food to no more than 112 F. (about 44 C.) and it will still be raw. Warmed up, but raw. So in this instance, yes, you can use an air fryer to achieve this.

However, you will have to keep a close eye on your food and check the temperature every few minutes, which may negate the purpose and function of an air fryer completely, given that the door should remain closed to maintain a particular temperature. So use this option with caution.

Can You Use An Air Fryer For A Vegan Diet?

Absolutely! Air fryers are great at making air fried tofu and air fried veggies!

In fact, a good number of vegans avoid oils all together. So an air fryer is a great way to “fry” foods without actually frying them. It’s a win-win for vegans!

Check out this list of the Best Vegan Air Fryer Recipes.

Air Fryer Paleo Recipes

The paleo diet has been popular for several years now, and for good reason. Many people claim that their health has vastly improved because of this style of eating.

It’s important to note that a paleo diet is not necessarily a low carb or keto diet. Paleo folks still enjoy fruit and on occasion, honey or maple syrup. The idea is to eat more like our caveman ancestors ate. And for many people it works well!

Give these Paleo Air Fryer Recipes a try!

How Can An Air Fryer Help Your Diet?

As we mentioned above, an air fryer can help you cook food without the addition of a ton of fats. At its core, an air fryer is basically a convection oven with a forceful fan added to really push the hot air around your food. This forced air is what gives your food it’s crispier texture.

So if you are trying to stick to a diet and are craving something fried, an air fryer is a great way to get that without getting all those deep-fried fats.

Another way an air fryer can help is by cooking smaller portions of food. Air fryers are fantastic at making small meals. This is super helpful when you don’t have to open up your fridge and have a huge casserole or other type of food staring back at you, waiting to be eaten.

An Air Fryer Diet Is Economical

The simple fact is, food waste is a huge issue in this country and the world over, although America is one of the worst offenders. So how can an air fryer help?

We know that it’s possible to cook healthy foods in an air fryer. But what we don’t talk about as often is that when you make less food, less food goes to waste. And if you are wasting less food, you’ll have more money in your budget to spend on healthier foods. It’s a cycle, and we love it.

What Diet Foods Can You Cook In An Air Fryer?

We hate the term “diet” around here. We much prefer to focus on “healthy foods. And while that term is definitely subjective, nobody can argue with the fact that lean meats and fresh veggies cooked with limited amounts of oils is a far healthier option than the standard American diet.

So what healthy air fryer foods can you make? Here’s a table of suggestions.

What You Shouldn’t Cook In An Air Fryer

There are a few healthy foods that are better cooked other ways.

Leafy greens – a prime example. They will never hold up in an air fryer. So eat them raw or cook them some other way.

Whole chickens – Or other large pieces of meat that might not cook properly in an air fryer. And yes, you will find recipes online for air fried whole chickens. But just because the recipes exist, doesn’t mean they are safe to use.

Low smoke point oils – While air fryers are known for needing very little to no oil, that doesn’t mean you can cook everything without any oil at all. Some foods really need a very light spritz of oil to give them the proper texture. But low smoke point oils will create a ton of smoke in your air fryer. So make sure you are using a higher smoke point oil.

Best Air Fryer For A Diet And Weight Loss

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again. The Instant Vortex Pro is our favorite air fryer for many reasons. But we also love it for diets for one very critical reason. It has a roasting basket that is epic. Yep, epic.

One of the hard parts of being on a diet is giving up fries. And while most air fryers do a decent job of making fries, this rotating basket is a game changer, and it works great on other veggies too. This means you can have homemade fries or sweet potato fries instead of a baked potato and still be on your eating plan. Not a bad way to go!

Conclusion

Will cooking in an air fryer help you lose weight? The answer is, it can. It won’t do it all by itself though. You have to put healthy foods in to get healthy foods out. But it will help you cut down on fat calories while still enjoying some delicious meals. Give it a try!